You've probably heard the story of Leona Lewis, the British sensation who landed at No. 1 in the States a couple of weeks ago with "Bleeding Love." She was discovered two years ago on "X Factor," Simon Cowell's British version of "American Idol." Even before she won the championship, he was drooling to groom her as a pop star, which she is in the United Kingdom, where her album, "Spirit," soared to the top of the pops in 2007. The disc was released in the States last week and the 23-year-old has a wow-inducing voice that suggests Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, but, frankly, most of the material is predictably sentimental and overbaked. The track that gives hope that Lewis is a keeper is her powerful, dramatic reading of Avril Lavigne's "I Will Be," filled with aches and breaks in her voice and smartly produced by Max Martin, who delivered hits for Britney Spears and others.
JON BREAM
